Roberto Alagna

Programm

Lalo - Le Roi d'Ys - vainement ma bien aimée

Cherubini - Les Abancerages - Suspendez à ces murs

Halevy - La Juive - Rachel quand du Seigneur

Chopin - Nocturne en Ré bémol, op.2 N°2 - Piano

Verdi - Macbeth - O figli, O figli miei 

Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Prologue Tonio 

Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Serenade d'Arlecchino 

Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Vesti la giubba Canio

Leoncavallo - Au clair de la Lune

Drigo - Les millions d'Arlequins

Di Chiaras - La Spagnola

Dicitincello vuje

Ne sera'e maggio

Passione

Lo ti vierda vasa

Tornare Surriento 

BIS

A Cappella 

Gardel - El dia qui me quieras 

Berceuse Corse 

Performance

Teatro Colon Buenos Aires

Tuesday 16th of June 2022

Cast

Roberto Alaga - Tenor 

Irina Dichkovskaia - Piano

Press Review

Clarin - Margarita Pollini - 06/15/22

❝Very good. Roberto Alagna sang a lot and for all tastes at the Colón. From the simplest to the most demanding page, the charismatic Roberto Alagna gave his all in each of the nearly 30 pieces he sang and for which the Buenos Aires audience thanked with its most sincere fervor.

EXCERPTS (translated from Spanish): "Contrary to what is customary for many opera singers, who is orienting their repertoire towards more dramatic roles and leaving the more lyrical ones as the years go by, around the age of 60 Alagna added roles without leaving part of the beginning of his career. [...]

The first part of the program for his recital with pianist Irina Dichkovskaya has provided a selection of opera arias designed for different registers, from light lyric tenor to baritone, and within it three French opera scenes not too well known locally. Roberto Alagna broke the ice with a choice that would have made more than one tenor look bad: the exquisite 'Vainement, ma bien-aimée' from Le Roi d’Ys by Lalo, followed by an aria from 'Les Abencerages' by Cherubini to give way to Eleazar's aria by Jacques-Fromental Halévy. [...] After the only Verdi moment of the night ('Ah, la paterna mano' from Macbeth), Alagna embarked on a reckless undertaking by singing snippets of Pagliacci written for three different characters: Tonio’s prologue, Beppe / Arlecchino’s serenade and Vesti la giubba, Canio’s awaited moment. [...]

The second part was the singer’s tribute to his Italian roots which began with three beautiful songs, two of them in French: 'Au clair de la lune' by Leoncavallo, 'Les millions d'Arlequin' by Riccardo Drigo and 'La Sagnola' by Di Chiara. Later, Alagna immersed in the waters of the Neapolitan song, a field in which he feels at ease and which he subtly tackles, something not always present in that repertoire.

To the barrage of applause started an eleven encore parade that exceeded all expectations and which went through a cappella fragments (a Sicilian song with much acting, a fragment of 'El día que me quieras' and a lullaby), popular Latin American creations (his endless high-pitched falsetto was acclaimed in 'La Malagueña') and again Italian and specifically Neapolitan melodies, with a general delirium in 'O Sole mio'.

[...] It must be said that, from the simplest to the most demanding page, the charismatic Roberto Alagna gave his all in each of the nearly 30 pieces he sang and for which the Buenos Aires audience thanked with its most sincere fervour."

Clarin - Luis Vinker - 06/15/2022

❝Roberto Alagna is one of the greats of our time. He returned to the same stage, in a concert that found him in his prime, a decade ago, and delivered in a hall that gave him standing ovations. He offered eleven encores, alternating a capella songs with infallible hits and even a tribute to his grandmother❞ 

EXCERPTS (translated from Spanish): "Roberto Alagna - a Frenchman from a Sicilian family- is one of the most acclaimed tenors of his generation. If the Teatro Colón has enjoyed the visit of other stars of the same vocal range in the last decade, Alagna could not be missing in the same "collection". ... He is one of the greats of his time. "My grandmother was Argentinian and she always told me how wonderful the (Teatro) Colón was, I had to come and sing here", he insisted.

<Pure singing> Alagna returned to the same stage, in a concert that found him in his prime, a decade ago, and delivered in a hall that gave him standing ovations. He offered eleven encores, alternating a capella songs with infallible hits (Torna a Surriento, O Sole Mio) and even a tribute to his grandmother with "El día que me quieras". If he felt that any case was pending, not anymore. In the Colón he indulged in the same pleasures as in the other great world opera houses.

<Records of a gifted performer> Alagna always stressed that his beginnings in "light music" (he sang in the Parisian cabarets) gave him the mettle and artistic energy to later triumph in opera [...] From then on, his career was unstoppable, he performed more than 60 roles in the great operas, he was called to perform at the Met, La Scala, Covent Garden. [...] In the post-pandemic he returned to the Met, at the Arena in Verona, he has just made his debut in a Wagner opera in Berlin and La Scala is calling him back, for Fedora. And the Colón, of course."

Ôlyrix - Sebastien Vacelet - 06/15/2022

❝The famous French tenor, acclaimed with fervor, imposes himself as a conquistador... Offering no less than 11 encore pieces, including 3 a capella, forming almost an hour of additional performance, setting the room on fire and unleashing the audience passion, he leaves the stage to ovations. ... The diversity and coherence of the program are based on a beautiful Mediterranean eclecticism. The tenor, in addition to the two languages of the opera that he usually practices (French and Italian), sings in Spanish, in Sicilian dialect, Neapolitan or even in Corsican. ... Roberto Alagna makes resound from the start this tenor tone so recognizable and so familiar to the opera lovers. It is still and always this structured and powerful organ, volatile, airy and amber, which passes from the baritone golden purples to the brassy climbs in altitude in the higher registers... The low mediums, all in relief, are full and generous... The vocal energy deployed is considerable and forces respect, with a breath of an inexhaustible length... Extreme generosity and vocal stamina of this artist welcomed as a living legend ... the grateful audience gives a long and repeated ovation to Roberto Alagna and his pianist, fully aware of experiencing a landmark concert that promises to go down in history of the Teatro Cólon. ❞ 

READ MORE (EXCERPTS, translated from French) : « The most prestigious opera house in South America [...] acclaims with fervor the recital of the famous French tenor who imposes himself as a conquistador, offering no less than eleven encore pieces before leaving the stage to ovations. It had been ten years since Roberto Alagna had stepped onto the stage of the Teatro Colón. If this return to one of the great planetary temples of Italian opera (dedicated to Verdi) seems natural for the one who has established himself in a repertoire largely inspired by his origins, it is also a return to family roots for Roberto Alagna whose maternal grandmother was born in Argentina.

< 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 > The diversity and coherence of the evening's program are based overall on a beautiful Mediterranean eclecticism. [...] The program thus opens up to a whole lively repertoire made up of chamber music arias, popular or folk songs, boleros, lullabies that flatter the Italian origins of an audience that communicates with Roberto Alagna and challenges, encourages or congratulates him directly in Italian. The communication between the artist and his audience grows as the recital progresses, the eleven encore performances, including three titles sung a cappella, forming almost an additional hour of performance, setting the room on fire and unleashing the passion of an incredulous audience. The tenor, in addition to the two languages of the opera that he usually practices (French and Italian) sings in Spanish, in the dialect of the island of his family origins (Sicily) and also ventures in Neapolitan dialect, or even in Corsican language. The conquest of hearts thus passes through this diversity of Romance languages and their regional dialects, which thus offers a journey through the Mediterranean, immersing a good part of the audience in their own cultural and family roots.

< 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 > [...] Nestled in the comforting hollow of the long grand piano, Roberto Alagna makes resound from the start this tenor tone so recognizable and so familiar to opera lovers. It is still and always this structured and powerful organ, volatile, airy and amber, which passes from the baritone golden purples to the brassy climbs in altitude in the higher registers, that the public recognizes. But time goes by and, inevitably, the voice has become a little darker and rounder. The low medium range, all in relief, is only more full and generous. The highest notes at the crest of the peaks, on the other hand, sometimes reached in a tense way [...], thus become with time as many challenges to find the exceptional vocal weightlessness which made the vocal signature of Roberto Alagna. Weightlessness that the singer still conquers, as soon as the voice, once well heated, allows it. [...] The vocal energy deployed is however always considerable and forces respect, with a breath of a length that seems inexhaustible. [...] The extreme generosity of this artist, welcomed as a living legend, and his vocal stamina allow him to offer eleven encore performances to a grateful audience, which gives Roberto Alagna and his pianist a long and repeated standing ovation, fully aware that they are experiencing a landmark concert that promises to go down in history of the Teatro Cólon.”

Proopera.org - Gustavo Otero - 06/15/2022

❝ A real celebration was held at the Teatro Colón. The great tenor delighted the Buenos Aires audience in a recital in which he showed his worth and the legitimacy of belonging to the highest international tenor circuit. An unforgettable night that will go down in the "great" history of this venue. … The opening French moment: Alagna's admirable diction, phrasing and natural timbral beauty shone … Macbeth’s fragment: one of the most intense moment in terms of style, squillo and delivery. The 3 arias from Pagliacci: a true tour de force in which Alagna displayed intelligence and vocal quality … Throughout the 2nd part, the pianissimi, the subtleties, the perfect style, the expressive phrasing and the deep feeling came to the fore at every moment … Due to the flood of applause and the generosity of the artist, the 3rd part - with 11 encores including two moments of interminable high notes "a la mexicana", applauded in the middle of the performance - exceeded all expectations. The audience was fascinated by the dedication and greatness of the artist. ❞ 

EXCERPTS (translated from Spanish): « June 14, 2022. A real celebration was held at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires with the recital of the French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna. With 15 appearances in the announced programme - between opera excerpts and songs - and 11 encores, the great tenor delighted the Buenos Aires audience in a recital in which he showed his worth and the legitimacy of belonging to the highest international tenor circuit. An unforgettable night that will go down in the "great" history of this venue.

In the first part of his recital programme, he tackled a selection of opera arias designed for different registers. Thus, he moved from light-lyric tenor to baritone. […] [In the opening French moment], Alagna's admirable French diction, phrasing and natural timbral beauty shone through in each of the three excerpts. One of the most intense moments of the evening in terms of style, rapport, squillo and delivery was 'O figli, o figli miei... Ah! La paterna mano' from Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, which opened the part dedicated to Italian opera. This was followed by three excerpts for different registers from Leoncavallo's famous Pagliacci, a true tour de force in which Alagna displayed intelligence and vocal quality. […]

The second part seemed to be a tribute by the singer to his Italian roots with canzonette, although some were in French. […] Throughout this part, the pianissimi, the subtleties, the perfect style, the expressive phrasing and the deep feeling came to the fore at every moment.

But the delirium of the audience achieved the unthinkable: 11 performances outside the programme: 8 accompanied by piano and 3 a cappella. Naturally, this was due to the flood of applause and the generosity of the artist. In this, the third part, which exceeded all expectations, the audience was fascinated and nobody cared about a dirty note. What does this matter in the face of the dedication and greatness of this international artist? And so it happened: Ay Ay Ay by Osmar Pérez Freire, Malagueña, with two moments of interminable high notes "a la mexicana", applauded in the middle of the performance, Piensa en mí by Agustín Lara; Musica prohibita by Stanislao Gastaldon, A vuchella and Canción Francesa by Pier Francesco Tosti, U sciccareddu, Sicilian song by an anonymous author sung a cappella and with a display of histrionics sung and acted; Funiculi funiculà by Luigi Denza, where he also made the audience sing the iconic tango El día que me quieras by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera, also sung a cappella and dedicated to his Argentinian grandmother, the traditional O sole Mio by Eduardo di Capua and Giovanni Capurro in a bilingual version - in Italian and English - to end with a lullaby in Corsican, a cappella, which he sang to his daughter."

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